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The reigning champions will play host to the competition’s new boys when Brisbane Roar meet Western Sydney Wanderers at Suncorp Stadium this afternoon. We’ll have live scores and minute-by-minute commentary from 5.00pm AEDT.
Just over half way through the season and both sides are on opposite ends of the ladder – but not how anyone would have expected at the beginning of the season.
Brisbane’s two-year domination has finally caught up with them, with the side entrenched in the bottom half of the table in ninth position, having not won yet in 2013.
Western Sydney has exceeded expectations, sitting inside the top four as one of the form teams in the A-League, sitting in fourth position.
With ten games remaining the ladder is taking shape with a five-point gap separating fourth and fifth, and the Wanderers will look to extend that buffer to eight points with a win here.
The Roar need the three points to keep track with the top six, despite being only two points adrift of sixth-placed Perth.
Brisbane was thought to have been in an early season slumber and had not been able to fire under coach Rado Vidosic in the early rounds.
Following Vidosic’s demotion, new coach Mike Mulvey has inherited a side suffering a premiership hangover.
The distraction has not helped the side that needs to start winning games or they could not only relinquish their title but also miss the finals.
This is the third meeting between the two sides with the Parramatta club having the wood over the A-league giants.
The Roar and Wanderers met in round four where the Sydneysiders scored their inaugural goal and posted their first win.
The Wanderers have developed a strong squad, with the likes of Youssouf Hersi and Mark Bridge firing, with import Shinji Ono warming to the task.
But the key cog in the machine has been the red and blacks midfielder Aaron Mooy. Mooy has played twelve games this season and has looked dangerous penetrating the Western Sydney’s attack.
At the opposite end of the pitch, Thomas Broich will be looking to ignite a lacklustre Brisbane Roar.
Arguably the A-League’s best player over the past two seasons, Broich has been the cornerstone in the Roar winning back-to-back titles.
A title winner last year will play against his former club for the first time this afternoon, when Rocky Visconte lines up for the Wanderers after transferring mid-season from Brisbane.
Jason Trifiro is also returning from a one-week suspension while Dino Kresinger will have to pass a fitness test, but Tahj Minnecon will miss out after he suffered a knee injury last week.
Brisbane captain Matt Smith and new recruit Jade North are in doubt for the clash and will be given until kick-off to play.
The form guide and injury concerns both point to a Wanderers victory, but home-ground advantage is a massive cue and the Roar will be desperate to save their season.
Prediction: Brisbane 1-2 Western Sydney
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